Trump fires hundreds of FAA workers weeks after deadly DCA plane crash
Hundreds of FAA workers let go
Hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration are now out of a job, according to a union that represents thousands of employees. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has more on the situation.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Trump begins firings of FAA staff
The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Trump fires hundreds of FAA workers amid air travel safety concerns
What we know:
Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.
The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told the Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a brief statement Monday it was "analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members."
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 14: A view of exterior of the Federal Aviation (FAA) Headquarters on Independence Avenue on February 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Officials from the FAA continue to investigate the January 29th plane crash near Ronald Reagan
Spero said messages began arriving after 7 p.m. on Friday and continued late into the night. More might be notified over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings on Tuesday, he said.
The employees were fired "without cause nor based on performance or conduct," Spero said, and the emails were "from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address" — not a government email address.
Aviation Staffing Crisis Worsens
The firings hit the FAA when it faces a shortfall in controllers. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.
FAA: Helicopter restrictions near DCA could become permanent
Two weeks after the deadly collision near Reagan National Airport, air safety officials are considering making a temporary flight restriction on helicopters in the area permanent. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald breaks down the details.
In the Jan. 29 fatal crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, which is still under investigation, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport.
Just days before the collision, President Donald Trump had already fired all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The committee is charged with examining safety issues at airlines and airports.
What they're saying:
One FAA employee who was fired over the weekend suggested he was targeted for his views on Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, not as part of a general probationary-level sweep. Both are owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s effort to cut the federal government.
Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander posted on LinkedIn that he was fired just after midnight Saturday, days after he started getting harassing messages on Facebook.
"The official DOGE Facebook page started harassing me on my personal Facebook account after I criticized Tesla and Twitter," Spitzer-Stadtlander wrote. "Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security."
He added: "When DOGE fired me, they turned off my computer and wiped all of my files without warning."
Spitzer-Stadtlander said he was supposed to be exempted from the probationary firings because the FAA office he worked in focused on national security threats such as attacks on the national airspace by drones.
"The FAA continues to hire and onboard air traffic controllers and safety professionals, including mechanics and others who support them. The agency has retained employees who perform safety critical functions," a U.S. Department of Transportation spokesperson said.
The Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firings were first reported by CNN.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report.